Sebastian Vettel is confident Ferrari can make a "good step forward" in 2016 as the team sets its sights on challenging Mercedes for the title.
Ferrari has made significant progress this year with its power unit, finding roughly a second in lap time over Mercedes in the process. Vettel has delivered three wins for the Italian team this year and still has an outside shot of finishing second in the championship behind Lewis Hamilton.
Asked if Ferrari can challenge Mercedes in 2016, Vettel replied: "It is always difficult to predict what is going to happen but surely it is our target. I can see what's happening in the background, the work that is going into this year and the work that is going into next year back in the factory, back in Maranello with all the people.
"It looks promising and we should be able to make a good step forward. Now obviously the most important day is when you put the new car on the track and see what it does. That's still a bit far away. From now we have two races left and we want to do well and ideally get the best possible results here and in Abu Dhabi."
Vettel was also asked about a recent quote from Niki Lauda that Ferrari had caught Mercedes in terms of engine power, but insisted he takes the Austrian's statements with a pinch of salt.
"We are not yet a match otherwise this season would have been very different. I'm very happy with the season so far, with the progress we've made and the things we have in the pipeline for the future.
"Niki is not usually the best one to trust, let's put it this way! He is changing his opinion very quickly and sometimes what he says makes sense and sometimes what he says doesn't make any sense. The more he is talking about us the better it is for us because he can feel that maybe we are coming, so hopefully that's good news."
Vettel trails Nico Rosberg by 21 points with two races remaining, a battle the Ferrari driver was winning until his retirement and Rosberg's victory in Mexico last weekend. Despite the odds being in Rosberg's favour Vettel is still focused on splitting the Mercedes drivers in the championship.
"Obviously there are two races to go and the last one didn't help but for sure as long as it is possible to finish second you want to finish second instead of third. Our target is to at least split the Mercedes and split them in the right way. But the best way to do that is to just do our job and try to achieve the maximum and then see what happens on Sunday."